OT Winch ID on old Fargo OT

[PatS....]

I'm looking at a 1947 Fargo 2 ton flatbed farm truck. Wasn't looking really but the condition and price are good and I have a place to store it until the Chrysler is done...ya right...anyway, I would like to figure out what kind of winch this is and how it works. Can't quite figure out what the large torque converter type thing is to the right of the drum and where the winch gets it's power. Would it be electrical or geared or even hydraulic?

If anyone has any idea I would appreciate it. It's 300 miles away and I won't see it until I go get it in a month.

Thanks

[greg g]

Pat wne I was a kid, I built a go cart. I wanted to get a cnetrifical clutch like those that were common on mini bikes and karts. But my father had an idea that we could use the hydraulic clutch from a early automatic washing machine. These were built for electric motors and began to engage at lower RPMS than the little friction centriifcal units (think chain saws) The clutch we used looked very similar to that unit (think fluid drive) but unlike that one it was built to spin with the motor (think snowmobile clutch) . it was mounted to the out put shaft of the motor and was starionary at idle, as the engine picked up speed it began to spin with the engine powering the drive belt. That looks like it get high pressure hydraulic fluid from a pump that powwers an imellor that transfer the rotation to a stator hooked the winch drum. Reverse the direction of flow and the winch moves in both directions. Isn't this like a skid steer works, with hydraulic clutches attached to each drive wheel?

[Young Ed]

To add to Gregs the actual power of it is probably from a PTO and therefore engine driven. PTO winches were pretty common back then.

[PatS....]

Greg, I thought that cylinder looked familiar. There were a few old washers around when I was a kid as well. Never built a go-kart with one but they were lying around. I've never seen one on a winch but I think you are right. And you and ED I think are right about the PTO off the engine as Ed said they were common back then and this is a farm truck so it's sure to be that way.

Would this be a consumer type item or ex-military do you think? It looks to be used to lift the front of the deck up to just a bit above cab height with the short gin-pole.

I won't need the winch or deck but my nephew wants the winch. We're just trying to figure out if it will work on his Dodge Ram Diesel std shift to winch cars and trucks onto his gooseneck trailer.

My plan is for an oldstyle housetruck:

[Young Ed]

Pat how new is his Ram? I wouldn't think a modern truck would have the ability to still hook up a PTO unit. Besides you can buy a modern winch thats probably 1/2 the size and weight of that unit and just as powerful if not more so.

[PatS....]

Ed, his Ram is a 97. He says it has a plate for a PTO...I'm not so sure it is for a PTO but he knows everything, not me:rolleyes:

He has a newer winch on the truck now, but wants the biggest one around...not sure if size matters in this case. The truck and gooseneck have a weight limit and the ability to load a Sherman Tank is moot if the unit can't haul it but that reasoning falls on deaf ears.

[Young Ed]

Well if there is no ID plate with the specs on it you will probably have a pretty hard time figuring it out. Now have you for sure bought this truck? If so you should sign up for the 39-47 dodge truck yahoo group and register your truck in our registry.

[PatS....]

I'm sending a deposit tonight and balance on pick-up, so yes, it will be mine later tonight. I want to finish the Chrysler first so this old girl is going in storage till then although I may get rid of the deck and winch right away.

[Niel Hoback]

Could be theres a planetary gearset in there that gears the drive speed down and increases the torque of the cable drum?